Lead Gameplay Animator

Skydance Interactive; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

At a leading interactive entertainment studio, the Lead Gameplay Animator drives the vision for high-quality gameplay animations. This role involves collaborating with multiple teams to enhance player experiences in developing new games. Candidates with significant animation experience aiming to innovate in the gaming industry are encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing animation projects and team dynamics.
• Expert understanding of animation pipelines and principles.
• Ability to mentor and grow team skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor the animation team in quality and consistency.
• Manage production schedules and coordinate with departments.
• Address challenges during production related to various aspects.

Skills

Keyframe and Mocap experience

Creature animation

Body Mechanics

Facial Animation

Mechanical/Prop Animation

Character Acting

Education

8+ years of animation production experience

At least 3 years in game development

Experience working with Maya

Tools

Maya

Python

Job description

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Join to apply for the Lead Gameplay Animator role at Skydance Interactive

At Skydance Interactive, we believe in pushing the boundaries of what is possible in interactive entertainment. Innovation in game design, technology and storytelling is the passion that drives our agile studio of dedicated and talented game creators. Collaboration across all disciplines is vital to our success and is at the core of the inclusive culture we strive to foster every day.

We empower our employees to take ownership of the features they develop and create their own solutions when challenges arise. As our studio grows, we want to bring even more risk-takers, innovators and diverse voices along for the ride as we continue to create the games that will defy convention and define the future of the medium.

Following the success of our 2020 genre-defining hit The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and our Webby nominated, Best Immersive Experience, Behemoth, we are currently working on several highly anticipated games for emerging platforms that we can't wait for you to play!

For information on Skydance’s privacy practices, see the Skydance U.S. Personnel Privacy Notice located at https://skydance.com/privacy-personnel/ .

The Lead Gameplay Animator will lead and mentor a team of animators to develop and build high quality animations for gameplay. As an experienced animator, the Lead Gameplay Animator will use their expert-level understanding of the principals and mechanics of animation and a strong technical understanding of animation pipelines to guide and grow their team’s capabilities. With this role, the Lead will work closely with the Animation Director, alongside Designers and Engineers in order to define and enhance the player experience through gameplay.

Responsibility

• Leadership:
• Guide animation team in the overall look and feel of the animation, ensuring consistency in style and storytelling to the artistic vision of the project.
• Oversee the production process, including planning schedules and allocating resources (internal and external), ensuring the projects remain within budget and timelines.
• Work closely with other departments to ensure, understand the vision of the game and how those translate to interactive animation.
• Address any challenges that arise during production, whether they relate to creative differences, technical issues, or team dynamics.
• Team Management:
• Manage and mentor a team of animators (internal and external) in various aspects of animation production.
• Manage the schedule and work of the animation team on a project.
• Work with production to establish a timeline and needed resources.
• Work effectively with outsource teams.
  
  
  

Requirements

• 8+ years of animation production experience, with at least 3 years in game development.
• Shipped at least 1 title as a Lead.
• Keyframe and Mocap experience
• Creature animation experience
• Highly skilled in all facets of animation: Body Mechanics, Facial Animation, Creation Animation, Mechanical/Prop Animation and Character Acting.
• Experience working with Maya with familiarity with mel and Python scripting
• Understanding of all facets of animation pipeline including rigging
• An eye for in-game results and how animation must support gameplay
• Experience working with motion capture data.
• Understanding of physics simulation setup and implementation in Unreal and Maya.
• Receptive to feedback and able to work through an interactive process.
• Must be a self-motivated team member who takes ownership of their work.
  
  
  

Plusses

• Working knowledge of Animation Blueprints.
• Worked on a VR project.
• Familiarity with Python.
  
  
  

The annual salary range for this position in Los Angeles is $120,000 – $140,000. The salary offered may vary based on the candidate’s location, qualifications, experience and relevant expertise, among other factors. The range indicated is for base salary only and does not reflect the total compensation package, including bonus, benefits, etc.

We realize that skills and expertise can come from many different experiences and paths, and we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all of the requirements as written in the job description.

#Interactive

Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across its feature film, television, interactive, and animation divisions.

Recruitment Fraud Alert

It has come to our attention that there may be fraudulent activity by individuals impersonating our Talent Acquisition team. Skydance will only contact you from an official “@skydance.com” email address. If you suspect that you are being contacted by an unauthorized person or believe that the correspondence you have received is suspicious, please do not click on any links or attachments in such emails and submit any questions or concerns to our information security team at https://skydance.com/report-suspected-fraud/ .

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology

• Industries

  Computer Games

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